Comfort food on a cold summer day.

I wanted to make the boys (the boyfriend and his brother) a warm yummy lunch today. I do this from time to time and I thought I'd be doing it more often but, to my great surprise, I saw the taco truck has returned after a long vacation. Funny that I decided on Mexican Macaroni today, huh? Please excuse the terrible picture quality, as my camera decided to not work this morning.

Nothing says comfort like some homemade mac and cheese!

2 TBS Olive Oil

1/2 CUP Diced Shallots

3-4 Pickled Jalapenos, minced

1/2 TSP Mexican Oregano

1/8 to 1/4 TSP Turbinado

8 TBS Butter

4 CUPS Whole Milk

2 CUPS Ditalini

1 1/3 CUP Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 CUP Grated Mild Jack Cheese

3 OUNCES Goat Cheese

In a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil. Add shallots and jalapenos. After 2 minutes add oregano, lightly sprinkle turbinado over shallots, and stir for 3 minutes. Once shallots are crystallized, turn heat down low and add the stick of butter, chopping and stirring it in.

After minutes add the milk and stir. Add macaroni, and turn the heat back up to medium or med low. Be careful not to let the milk curdle. After another minute sprinkle 1 cup of cheddar cheese then the jack. Stir gently and add goat cheese. Continue stirring gently trying to prevent cheese from clumping. Increase the heat as you see fit. Heat and gently stir for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the rest of the cheddar on top. Put skillet in the oven for 10 minutes, then broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheddar is lightly browned, forming a crust. Serve immediately.

This picture does not do it justice... I'm sad my camera was being dumb. It was delicious, I only tried a small bite, the rest was devoured by the boys :)! And I have to throw in a HUGE thanks to my mother in law for my favorite Calphalon skillet, it has to be the best think I've ever cooked with. It was given to me for my birthday in March, and I couldn't even count the number of times it's been used since then. And the fact that it can go into the oven, 2 thumbs up. I'm still getting use to having nice pans (I got some from my wonderful boyfriend this past Christmas, also) but I'll never go back to cheap stuff! It's THAT amazing. Okay, off to do some work on my dresser since this is my last day off. More blogging to follow...